YEAR OF THE FAMILY

Living the Liturgical Year

Celebrating Saints and Feasts to Enrich Hearts and Homes

 Week Of June 9^th – June 15^th St Anthony of Padua (August 15, 1195, to June 13, 1231)

June 13^th – Anthony was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. He was born and raised by a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal, and died in Padua, Italy. Noted by his contemporaries for his powerful preaching, expert knowledge of scripture, and undying love and devotion to the poor and the sick, he was one of the most quickly canonized saints in church history. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church on 16 January 1946. He is also the patron saint of lost things. The reason St. Anthony's help is invoked for finding things lost or stolen is traced to an incident that occurred in Bologna. According to the story, Anthony had a book of psalms that was of some importance to him, as it contained the notes and comments he had made to use in teaching his students. A novice who had decided to leave took the psalter with him. Prior to the invention of the printing press, any book was an item of value. Upon noticing it was missing, Anthony prayed it would be found or returned. The thief was moved to restore the book to Anthony and return to the order. The stolen book is said to be preserved in the Franciscan friary in Bologna. When his body was exhumed 30 years after his death, it was found turned to dust, but his tongue was found to be glistening and looked as if it were still alive and moist; those involved and church authorities though the centuries have perceived this as a sign of his gift of preaching and never speaking a vulgar or uncharitable word. Consider praying to Saint Anthony for his intercession when responding to others verbally or on social media.
 
FEASTING WITH THE SAINTS

Saint Anthony's Bread
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water

1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup honey
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (1 packet)
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
 5-6 cups flour

Directions:Combine the warm water, milk, honey and yeast in a medium bowl. Allow the yeast to prove for 5 minutes. It should look bubbly. To your mixer add the yeast mixture, butter, flour and salt. Using your dough hook, knead the dough until combined about 3-5 minutes. Transfer dough to a work surface and shape into a rectangle about 1 inch thick cut into uniformly sized pieces. Form each piece into a ball pinching the seams on the underside making a smooth top. Transfer dough to a greased pan, I use my Cast Iron Pan. Give the rolls a bit of room to rise. Cover and allow to rise about 2 hours in a warm place. Preheat oven to 375. Bake for about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Watching:  Saint Anthony The Miracle Worker of Padua– This is the first major feature length drama on the life of St. Anthony of Padua, the beloved miracle worker and one of the most popular saints in Christian history. Watch it online or buy the DVD.

Reading: St. Anthony: The Wonder-Worker of Padua 2nd Edition by Charles Warren Stoddard. A beautiful, popular life of the Patron of Lost objects, a powerful intercessor, and the favorite saint of Catholics. He was the greatest preacher of the middle ages and one of the finest orators of all time. Find out why he is called the Wonder-Worker and the Hammer of Heretics! Includes the famous stories of St. Anthony and the Christ Child, St. Anthony and the Mule, preaching to the fishes, and more. 126 pages, paper back.
 

 
Week Of May 26^th – June 1^st
 The Visitation of The Blessed Virgin Mary (May 31^st)

When the Angel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she was to conceive the child Jesus in her womb, her reply was “How shall this be, as I know not man?”, to which Gabriel responded with the extraordinary news that her cousin Elizabeth had conceived of a child in her old age and was 6 months along already. Although this news could have been construed as simple proof of the truth of the Angel’s message, Mary went “…in haste…” to visit her cousin, not to verify the truth of the Angel’s words but in an act of love and service born of the Supreme act of love of the Incarnation that had just occurred in her – Love begets love, and Mary is our prime example of this. The picture to the right depicts the moment of Mary’s arrival at the home of Elizabeth and their mutual joy and celebration of one another’s presence and pregnancy. Mary arrived at her cousin’s home to be of service to Elizabeth in her time of need, but also to celebrate the Love and Mercy of God that had been bestowed upon them both in superabundance. Thus Mary is also our example of the Joy and Celebration that should flow naturally from us as a result of the Love and Mercy God constantly pours into our lives. Take some time this week to consider how you can share the Love and Mercy of God  with your relatives, neighbours or friends, perhaps even with a “visit” in imitation of our Lady. (Bring along some blueberry muffins – recipe below)
 
 

FEASTING WITH THE SAINTS 
 
Visiting Blueberry Muffins
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
3 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
 
 
Crumb Topping:
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 TBS butter, cubed
 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray muffin pan with Pam or other non-stick spray or line with muffin liners. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in large bowl. In a 2 cup measuring cup, place vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and enough milk (just over 2/3 cups) to fill to the 2 cup mark. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. (Note: The batter is extremely thick.) Fill muffin cups right to the top for oversized muffins. To make the crumb topping: mix together 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 3 Tbs. butter, and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with a fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done. This recipes yields approximately 12-16 extra generously sized delicious muffins.

Reading:  The Catholic Home: Celebrations and Traditions for Holidays, Feast Days, and Every Day – Meredith Gould. For centuries, the Catholic Church has offered an abundance of splendid traditions that extend religious and spiritual practice into daily life. Now, Meredith Gould reintroduces these customs and rituals to modern Roman Catholics. Using the liturgical calendar, The Catholic Home provides familiar and new ways to celebrate each season and its special days. This book includes a concise history of each ritual and clarifies the meaning behind it by highlighting celebrations of Catholic holidays from different parts of the globe. Your family will learn to make Advent wreaths, Jesse trees, St. Lucy’s crowns, King’s cakes, All Souls altars, traditional foods, and participate in family devotions.

Week Of May 19^th – May 25^th St Rita of Cascia (Born Margherita Lotti 1381 – 22 May 1457)

May 22^nd - Rita was a child bride, married before the age of 12. The marriage lasted for eighteen years, during which she is remembered for her Christian values as a model wife and mother who made efforts to convert her husband from his abusive behaviour. Upon the murder of her husband by another feuding family, she sought to dissuade her sons from revenge. Rita subsequently joined an Augustinian community of religious sisters, where she was known both for practicing mortification of the flesh and for the efficacy of her prayers. When Rita was approximately sixty years of age, she was meditating before an image of Christ crucified. Suddenly, a small wound appeared on her forehead, as though a thorn from the crown that encircled Christ’s head had loosened itself and penetrated her own flesh. For the next fifteen years she bore this external sign of union with Christ.  Various miracles are attributed to her intercession, and she is often portrayed with a bleeding wound on her forehead.  At her canonization ceremony she was bestowed the title of Patroness of Impossible Causes. She is also the patron saint of sterility, abuse victims, loneliness, marriage difficulties, parenthood, widows, the sick, bodily ills, and wounds. On the 100th anniversary of her canonization in 2000, Pope John Paul II noted her remarkable qualities as a Christian woman: "Rita interpreted well the 'feminine genius' by living it intensely in both physical and spiritual motherhood." Rita's body, which has remained incorrupt over the centuries, is venerated today in the shrine at Cascia.

 
FEASTING WITH THE SAINTS  
Home-made fig bars
1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. each salt and baking soda

Fig filling: Chop 1 package (12 ounce) moist dried figs. In small saucepan mix with 1/4 cup sugar, 3/4 cup water and 2 tbsp. lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thick and jam-like. Remove from heat and cool.

 
-Beat together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended.

-Mix flour, salt and baking soda. Stir into first mixture (dough will be stiff). Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours.

-When ready to bake, turn dough out on lightly floured surface. Roll into a 14 by 12 inch rectangle. Cut into 4 strips 3 1/2 by 12 inches long.
-Spoon filling evenly down center of strips. With spatula, turn in sides of strips. Press edges together to seal. Cut each strip into 10 pieces. Arrange seam side down on baking sheets.
-Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until firm and lightly browned.
Serve with rose scented tea or pink lemonade in honour of St. Rita
 

Reading:  St. Rita of Cascia: Saint of the Impossible – Joseph Sicardo. Desirous of being a nun, she instead obeyed her parents and married. Her husband was cruel, and caused her much suffering, to which she responded with love and prayers and eventually converted him. After the death of her husband and two sons, Rita was able to enter a convent, where she devoted herself to prayer and penance. She abandoned herself totally to God, diminishing herself as He increased in her. An inspiring story of a soul completely resigned to God\'s will. 132 pg. Available in various formats including E-BOOK.

 Week Of May 12th – May 18th    St Isidore The Farmer (Labourer) (c. 1070 – May 15, 1130)

May 15th - Saint Isidore was from Spain and was named in honor of Saint Isidore of Seville, a scholar, bishop, and Father of the Church who lived in the sixth and seventh centuries. The two Isidores could not be more different. Today’s Saint Isidore is known in Spanish as “Laborador” or “the farm worker.” He was not a scholar and probably had trouble reading. He was not ordained to Holy Orders but married and a father. He surely had calluses on his hands, a red, leathery neck burned by the sun, and a sore and twisted back for most of his life. He earned what little he had. No one gave it to him. He did not put food on his family’s table by generating great thoughts or publishing profound books. And due to exhaustion, he probably had no trouble sleeping at night. Numerous legends of miracle working and holiness attest to Saint Isidore’s influence on Spanish culture. In 1947 his partially incorrupt body was even put on public display to provoke prayers to bring a terrible Spanish drought to an end.  Saint Isidore is the patron saint of Madrid and of numerous other towns, cities, and regions throughout the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America. The story of St. Isidore is a reminder of the dignity of work, and that ordinary life can lead to holiness. Legends about angel helpers and mysterious oxen indicate that his work was not neglected and his duties did not go unfulfilled. St. Isidore's life demonstrates that: If you have your spiritual self in order, your earthly commitments will fall into order as well.

FEASTING WITH THE SAINTS  
EASY TACOS WITH RADISH AND AVACADO SALSA
          The simple yet delicious salsa requires only four basic ingredients: radishes, avocado, cilantro and a lime.

          Start with a bunch of fresh radishes and dice them into small pieces. Then peel your avocado and slice into chunks that are roughly the same size as your radishes. Place both in a large bowl and add 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro and 2 teaspoons of fresh lime juice and stir together gently. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill.

          Next up is your taco filling. For this recipe I prefer to use ground beef or even ground turkey, but you can just as easily use steak, chicken or any other meat. If using ground beef or turkey, add the meat to a frying pan and brown. While cooking, stir in 1 teaspoon of ground cumin (be careful not to add too much, as less is more with this spice). I also enjoy finely dicing up some of the remaining cilantro that didn’t go into the salsa and stirring that in with the ground meat for added flavor. While this is cooking, you can warm soft corn or flour tortillas in the oven, wrapped in foil, for five minutes at 300 F.

          From here, all you need to do is add the meat and salsa to your warm tortillas and you’re done! These tacos taste great and are a refreshing (and healthier) alternative to tacos flavored with heavy doses of cheese or sour cream (but you can add these to your tacos too if you like), and the combination of crunchy radish and soft avocado gives them a great texture. And if you’re counting carbs, you can also leave out the tortillas and just enjoy the salsa and meat as a salad (although in this case, I’d suggest steak or chicken instead of ground meat).

          Regardless of how you customize the dish, it is sure to be a great addition to a fiesta in St. Isidore’s honor!

Reading:  Apostolic Farming – Catherine Doherty. Drawing on experience of her father's extensive farm in twentieth century Russia, Catherine Doherty pleads for integrity in making the earth fecund with healthy foods. A great read in light of Laudatio Si – Pope Francis’ document on stewardship of the earth and our environment.

 
 Week of May 5th—May 11th: St Damien of Molokai (3 January 1840 – 15 April 1889) Father Damien was born Jozef ("Jef") De Veuster, the youngest of seven children. His parents were corn merchants. Growing up on a farm, it was assumed that he would eventually take over the farm. Instead, Jozef attended college in Braine-le-Comte, then entered the novitiate of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Leuven. He took the name of Brother Damianus (Damien in French) in his first vows, presumably in reference to the first Saint Damian, an early Christian saint who was said to perform miracles. During his ecclesiastical studies, Damien prayed daily before a picture of St. Francis Xavier, patron of missionaries, to be sent on a mission. Three years later when Damien's brother Father Pamphile could not travel to Hawaii as a missionary because of illness, Damien was allowed to take his place. Once in Hawaii, he volunteered to minister to the colony of Lepers on the island of Molokai from where he was never to return. Damien worked with them to build a church and establish the Parish of Saint Philomena. In addition to serving as a priest, he dressed residents' ulcers, built a reservoir, built homes and furniture, made coffins, and dug graves. During this time, Father Damien had not only cared for the lepers, but also established leadership within the community to improve the state of living. Father Damien aided the colony by teaching, painting houses, organizing farms, organizing the construction of chapels, roads, hospitals, and churches. He also personally dressed residents, dug graves, built coffins, ate food by hand with lepers, shared pipes with them, and lived with the lepers as equals. Father Damien also served as a priest during this time and spread the Catholic Faith to the lepers; it is said that Father Damien told the lepers that despite what the outside world thought of them, they were always precious in the eyes of God. He contracted leprosy himself and died on April 15^th 1889 and was canonized on October 11^th 2009. His feast day is May 10^th.

 FEASTING WITH THE SAINTS 
MACADAMIA NUT CRUSTED COCONUT SHRIMP
1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 pound cleaned and deveined shrimp
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup finely crushed macadamia nuts
Garnish: minced chives or green onions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly coat a baking dish with olive oil. Place flour in a small bowl. Dredge shrimp in flour, then dip into coconut milk and roll in crushed macadamia nuts. Place in baking dish and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through. Serve 3 shrimp on a bed of rice, garnish with minced chives or green onions. Serve orange lime sauce dipping sauce on the side.

 
ORANGE LIME SAUCE
10oz jar orange marmalade
3 tablespoons tangy mustard
1 tablespoon lime juice.
To create orange lime sauce combine all sauce ingredients in a sauce pan and warm
 
OVEN KALUA PIG
3 lb pork butt
1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke
2 1/4 teaspoons Hawaiian salt, or sea salt, or kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350-400 degrees F. Pierce pork butt all over with carving fork or score with a knife. Rub salt and liquid smoke into meat. Place pork fat side up in a roasting pan or deep casserole dish. Cover and roast in oven for 2 1/2-3 hours. Remove the pork from pan and shred with two forks. Makes six servings.

    Reading:  Saint Damien of Molokai -- Hero of Hawaii (MOBI) - Virginia Helen Richards, FSP. This book is written for readers in the age range of 8-12, but to be honest an adult could easily enjoy it and get through it in an afternoon or 2 of reading.

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